cheradenine

I'm just running the gauntlet of sending my resume off to employers and as you could probably guess, i'm not hearing anything back.

Just wondering what the secret is to even getting a reply?
I've had one email reply since I started looking in December, the employer asked to see my qualifications which I duly sent and that was the last I heard from him.

Here is a little info about me/my situation.
29
permanent resident since January.
lived in California for just over a year now.
7 years experience in engineering working as a composite laminator, welder, cnc machinist and programmer.
3 years as a forklift operator before that.

So, any advice guys? It's the first time I've been unemployed and it's becoming a bit of a drag.

Thanks for your help.

Guindalf

There is no secret. The answer is grind, I'm afraid. Get your resume out there on all the usual websites and also join LinkedIn (although this is less likely to yield results, but still worth it).

Often, factories will post jobs with the employment office, so make a pest of yourself there, too. The employees will see your efforts and may even approach known employers in your field on your behalf.

Send resumes to all the companies within a reasonable commuting distance (or further if you're prepared to move) and follow up with a call to HR a week or so later. Take the time to find out the name of the HR person so you can address the resume personally.

All it is, is legwork. Legwork and being in the right place at the right time.

md95065

... and personal contacts ...

cheradenine

yeah that's how I've always gotten my jobs before.
I made a linkedin profile but it seems to be more relevant for white collar workers.
Just applied to a job on craigslist so fingers crossed for that.I wonder if I made a mistake on the earlier resumes I sent out by not putting 'authorised to work in the usa' on there somewhere?

Noorah101

No. Do no mention "authorized to work in the USA" or "US Permanent Resident" or any such thing on your resume. Your resume should only be about your education and experience.

People reading your resume will assume you have the right to work in the USA, which you do, and will follow up if interested.

Rene

scrubbedexpat099

Seem to be a lot of big box stores with signs up, perhaps things improving?

jeepster

Have you been to the State unemployment office?

cheradenine

Thanks Noorah, I really wish I knew someone that works in HR. I sent my resume around to everyone I know and the only feedback I really got was'yeah looks good'.

cheradenine

No I haven't, is it like the job centre back home?I just looked it up on google and there is one close by, I shall look into it tomorrow.
Thanks for your help.

thinbrit

It is overly general, but here are red flags that immediately have me concerned when reading a candidates resume.

Any unexplained gaps in career.
Several explainable gaps in career.
Inappropriate email address on resume "[email protected]", for example. I kid you not, I've had some real eye opening email addresses.
I always look up candidates online. Social media page showing you drunk out of your mind or sucking on a pot filled hookah pipe isn't going to cut it.
Don't send a resume that contains only work experience that is not relevant to the position. Recently when hiring registered vet techs with 2 years ER experience a prerequisite I got numerous resumes with people who thought they were qualified because "I love animals" or "as a little girl I really wanted to be a vet".
Don't include irrelevant information. We don't care that you speak 5 languages, unless the job calls for bilingual.
Leave out personal interests/accomplishments. You won spelling bee aged 7, I don't care. If you are applying for a job as a fork lift driver and won fork lift driver of the year, then of course include that.
Hobbies, so what. You play 5 aside football on Saturdays, big deal. You just wasted my time reading that.

Don't stuff your resume with power words and phrases, they make us nauseous.

Also, if the objective section is like a page from corporate jargon BS. You'll turn me off if you start some rambling nonsense of buzz words that has no real depth.

Keep your resume brief but informative (600 to 700 words). Employers get hundreds of resumes. We just don't have time to read a 6 page life story.

Include a brief cover letter telling me why you are suitable for the job.

Be polite. Don't be cocky. Don't appear desperate.

Good luck!

EDIT:
Don't have a blanket resume you send out. Really personalize the resume for each job, highlighting the bits that fit and removing the bits that do not.

cheradenine

Thanks thinbrit!I have a bit of a gap in my resume as I was unable to work for nearly a year after I left the uk. I've never been too confident about how to go about explaining that gap.
I've kept my resume as simple as possible. Just company I work for, years employed, job title followed by bullet points of skills used.I didn't use an objective as it took up space and my American friends' resumes didn't have one.
Thanks once again, that has been the best advice yet.

kodokan

If it's an online job - and aren't they usually, nowadays - paste the text into a Wordle. This immediately show you the words that repeat so are clearly important to the role; it'll show you the vocabulary they're using to describe the skills desired. Then you can tailor your CV vocabulary to match, which should help with the screening spiders.

username.exe

I used a service called jobscan.co to highlight ATS software keywords and the likelihood of your application making the cut. You paste in the job spec, and your application and it will give you a grade. You can then go back and work on your keywords out whatever.

I felt like it did a good job of getting me through to the phone screen round.

kins

The last two posts are really good advice. The last place I worked, all the resumes went into a system (Taleo I think), then they ran keyword searches to find the resumes they were interested in. I applied for a job that mentioned 'intranet' several times in the job description, so I really focused on my intranet work on my resume.

kins

I also found it really useful to be able to use the fact that I'd emigrated a year ago to explain the gap in my resume.